Absolution
by Reinbeauchaser
Summary: The TMNT’s change a young Foot soldier’s life. After renouncing her allegiance to Oruku Saki, she endures horrific abuse for her betrayal. Will she live to tell about it or will she commit seppuku to restore honor? PG13 for violent content.
1. Discovery

**DISCLAIMER: **The TMNT's are the property of other people, not me. So, don't sue. I only own Tang Shen – and the circus.

**Chapter one - Discovery**

She awoke with a terrific headache, the pounding behind her eyes so severe, the thought of opening them made her ill. They felt almost ready to explode.

Yet, desperate to know where she was, Tang Shen blindly tried to sit up. However, in almost the next moment, she swiftly remembered the atrocities committed against her. Now, as the rest of her body screamed in agony, she remembered things best left to nightmares.

Groaning audibly, Tang lay back down again and tried to use her meditative skills to push away the almost overwhelming sense of pain. Keeping her eyes closed, she concentrated and slowly felt the tide of her discomfort ebb. Nevertheless, as she did, she felt a chilled breath of air pass over her body.

It startled her.

She snapped her eyes opened, despite the pain, and looked down at herself – and then she gasped. Tang was naked, completely and wholly naked without even a blanket to cover her.

And, she was lying on the cold, hard concrete ground of the warehouse, too.

As the girl's memory cruely beckoned to her, it slowly reminded her of why she was in this place to begin with.

Like a fog dissipating and evaporating to reveal the lay of the land, Tang Shen began to remember how she had brought dishonor to her family, a dishonor that should have meant her death. Yet here she was, still very much alive. Maybe she lived because _He _loved her; or maybe He showed leniency because of how she had successfully captured his enemy not long ago.

Either way, it mattered not to Tang Shen. Whatever the reason for his compassion, she was still suffering from his disappointment and from her disobedience.

After her trial, if one could call what she went through as litigation, she had been beaten, raped repeatedly, and then tortured until she had finally screamed in agony. For nearly the entire process, Tang had remained mute, refusing to utter even a single sound. Yet after the entire company of Elite had their way with her, after the remaining Foot pulled most of her hair out by the handfuls, after hours of torture from those whose expertise with such matters gave even her ex-lover the shudders, Tang finally relented and begged for his mercy.

Soon after, she had passed out, only to wake up just moments earlier in the holding cell of the warehouse.

As her endorphins sped to their appointed tasks and as she began to feel a slight bit of relief from the pain, the girl slowly sat up and looked around at her general vicinity.

Sighing, she saw that her tormentors thought it fitting to place her in the same dank and makeshift prison in which they were keeping their recently captured enemy. She swallowed, grimacing painfully against the jarring loss of several teeth and coppery taste of blood, and then looked over at the creature. It was easy to see that the poor beast seemed near death. With its eyes closed and its breathing labored, the mutant's bony arms strained against the manacles that held it prisoner. It was easy to see that he was quite exhausted, his legs almost giving out from having to stand for so long. Secured high to the chain-linked fence behind where it stood, the creature stood atop a box, and forced to stand eye-level to his interrogators. Tang could see where the skin around the creature's wrists had chaffed, where the cuffs clutched at him mercilessly. It was obvious to her that he was in misery, yet not a sound or complaint did he make.

Smaller than even herself, the mutant rat briefly opened one eye. Meeting her gaze, it gave her a long critical look, before closing it again. He sighed once and then once more, finally allowing his breathing to level out. His tail wrapped protectively around his feet and hugged them, as if to comfort him.

Tang noticed beads of perspiration along his face and muzzle, a sheen of moisture clinging to its coat. Where they were in the warehouse, the air was chilly, yet the creature still perspired. She could see bruising where her brethren had beaten it, colorful patches of darkened welts showing along the exposed skin of his face. Even her lover had his fun with the brute. Beaten to get the thing to talk, the creature had still refused to utter even a groan. Just the same, it seemed ludicrous to her that any creature like this one could communicate. For no matter how many times it was beaten and tortured, it remained mute. Had she not failed in her next assignment, she, too, would have enjoyed the task of finding out if the animal had, indeed, any intelligence.

Nevertheless, as the week progressed, Tang ended up reconsidering many things about her life.

She suddenly groaned in delayed reaction as she realized that this creature's suffering was all her fault.

Again, her memory crudely reminded her of this fact and one for which she now felt remorse.

Sitting there upon the concrete ground, Tang recalled that she had been the one to chain this creature. It had been an honor for her to do so at the time, after presenting the thing to her beloved. In fact, it was her finest moment and the approval in his eyes almost made her swoon.

Days earlier, she had accompanied her brethren to capture this aberration of nature, this one who seemed to take delight in upending her family's business. With the creature's lair discovered by one of the Elite, the man had reported that the mutant was the leader of four equally hideous creatures. Her beloved, and jonin of the clan, then sent his best to capture it, in the hopes that his apprehension would lead to the others. While the other four freakish creatures were gone, Tang and twenty of her comrades had overpowered this enemy in its own home in the sewers. The mutant rat had fought well, even though surprised by the attack and too elderly to withstand the skills that she and her compatriots had set against it. Yet, despite all odds, it had fought them and with an old style of martial arts that had mystified and intrigued the girl.

Now, sitting in her cell and facing this same rat, she found it horribly ironic that her would-be husband found it fitting to imprison her with the one she had, only days earlier and with her own two hands, chained up in victory.

Yet, as she recalled the turn of events from only hours before, she knew that her betrayal had actually begun a week prior to that.

It had been a Friday and she was out with two fellow clan-members for a night of relaxation and recreation. They had gone to see a circus, a gift to them from their leader, her consort, and the surrogate father to their growing family of thieves. By their efforts alone, they had enlarged the membership considerably and, pleased with their efforts, he had bestowed upon them a night of fun.

The event had been mildly stimulating, allowing them a bit of reprieve from their normally busy schedule. Most of the stunts they themselves could do, of course, but with the colorful array of costumes and the well-timed music, the routines seemed more impressive to them. With a twenty-minute break at the halfway point in the program, it gave Tang an excuse to fetch refreshments, and so she did.

As she worked her way towards the refreshment stand, she deftly avoided the shoving and pushing. Sidestepping left and then right, weaving in and around, she easily dodged around the mass of people to reach her destination unmolested. For a short time, she seemed amused with those who pressed against each other as they scurried along. Many played the wide variety of games of skill that, for the most part, took their money more frequently than award them prizes.

For a while, they were as entertaining to her as the performers inside the tent had been.

She blended in well with the crowd, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, with her hair pulled back into a French-braid. No one would ever suspect what she did for a living or with whom she was associated. She was like any other young woman, a teenager, out for a night of frivolity with friends.

Although smug and confident with that knowledge, she failed to notice, however, one pair of eyes that followed her every move.

With her arms now laden with drink and food, Tang decided to take a different route back to the performance tent. She was making herway behind a booth and out of view of the general area, effectively avoiding the mash of people, when a man suddenly cut in front of her. Forced to stop, she looked around furtively. Tang knew that where they were situated behind the que of game tents, this sudden change in her adjenda with the stranger would go largely unobserved. Still, she hestiated when he held up a hand for her to stop.

Although a bit concerned about his approach, she was far from afraid. What he wanted with her was irrelevant, yet she had to be careful, just the same. Although her friends would probably think she had only stopped to gawk at something interesting or was taking longer to buy the refreshments, she was mindful of the general rule of her clan. If there was one thing stressed to the point of pain, members were not to fraternize with the outside world; the only exception being when they were on assignment. Tang knew all too well about the 'escorts' most likely lurking nearby, those sent to shadow her and her friends, if only to ensure their loyalty.

Her lover never took any chances whatsoever.

Yet, along the route back to the main arena where this man had stopped her, Tang Shen found herself safely shielded behind a hawker's large tent, effectively hiding her. Still, she carefully kept herself aware of her surroundings, lest she sense anyone familiar nearby.

The man now looked at her with a hard, knowing expression, as if he recognized her. Then, he smiled and apologized, realizing that he had startled the girl. With his hands palm up and slightly outstretched, he implored, "I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't mean to scare you."

Tang narrowed her eyes at the man, threatening, "Out of my way, please." The man was middle-aged and bit gray around the ears, with a receding hairline. Well built for his years and, more than likely, an aerial artist who handled the trapeze, his costume did well to show off his physique.

Just the same, Tang's skills in self-defense left little for her to fear.

Still, it was all too obvious to the girl that the man had confronted her with purposeful determination. Although he was a complete stranger to her, just the same, she quickly determined where to set down her purchases if forced to defend herself.

"I won't take too much of your time, Miss, but might I ask where you are from?" he inquired softly.

Snorting, she admonished him, demeaning the man with an arrogant glance, "From _hell_, if you do not get out of my way!"

The surprised look on his face told Tang that he was not expecting such an aggressive reply. He stepped aside to let her pass, more out of being intimidated, but before she did, he held up a trembling hand to stop her again. "Please, I must tell you this. Earlier this evening, I saw you as you and your friends came into the main tent, before the show."

"And, so what?" she seethed, anxious to get back to her seat so as not to miss the next set of performances. As she eyed her escape route and shifted her possessions in her arms, Tang was clearly aware of not wanting to draw concern from her friends, certain that they would not hesitate to look for her if enough time passed. Although friendships were strong within the clan, any hint of betrayal was quickly reported and without hesitation. Trained in that way, it was something everyone understood without question.

The man hesitated, looked around a bit, and seemed shocked again, by the force of her words. However, glancing her way and making eye contact, he finally answered, "Well, you remind me of someone I used to know." He swallowed, as if unsure of his own words. Licking his lips nervously, he waited for her to respond.

"Oh, really, is that so?" she remarked sarcastically, "I'm sure there are many here whom you would like to know. I am well informed about _circus people _and how they prey on gullible customers." Tang snorted derisively, "However, I am not one of them, you can be certain!" The girl tried to slip passed the man, but he persisted, stepping in front of her once again. Now, he was more nervous than before. Why, she did not know, but he trembled noticeably. Still and despite the fear she sensed from him, he persisted.

In all honesty, she would have enjoyed dispatching this one, if only to get back with her friends. However, she knew the clan rules about drawing attention to themselves while out in public. Under the cloak of night and within the dark of shadow, she would have not hesitated to kill him. However, therein the middle of the arcade and in a well-lit area, no less, she had to tread carefully. At the very least, her concern was more for those 'shadows' sent to watch her than doing harm to the man now standing and trembling before her.

She could tell that this man was not going to deter from getting in her way. The very idea that he thought he recognized her was unnerving. How could he even know her when this was the first time she had ever been to his circus? Even if their paths crossed while she was doing 'clan business', her black hood and mask would have prevented him from seeing even her face. There wouldn't have been any way for him to recognize her.

Suddenly and before she could sidestep around him a third time, he pulled something out from the pants pocket of his costume. Now, holding up a photograph, the man quickly presented it to her before she could react, pressing the picture in-between Tang's fingers as she tried to hold onto one of her drinks.

Stepping back and shifting the beverage container to cradle it in the crook of her opposite arm; she took the photo and held it out in front of her to get a better view. Why she was even giving this man any consideration confused her and, yet, she felt compelled to do so.

Did he look familiar to her?

Squinting at the picture,now,and then looking up at the man, Tang listened as he went on to explain, a deep sadness clearly edging his words, "Eleven years ago, three members of our circus died in a trailer fire. It was a very suspicious and stubborn fire, where it burned unusually hot. Once the fire department put the flames out, all that was left of our friends was ash. They had a daughter that died with them, or so we believed. She would have been seventeen, now, had she lived." He swallowed and seemed to be studying her, waiting for some sort of response that would assure him of his suspicions.

Tang looked up at the man, her arrogance slowly dissipating. She looked at the photo again, her eyes widening ever so slightly, now, as she studied the picture.

Tang was seventeen, too, soon to be eighteen and soon to be married. Looking down at the picture and shaking her head, Tang listened as the man continued, "The child had her mother's hair and eyes." He studied her, now, not just looking at her, but looking her over as if, more than ever, certain of what he saw.

All Tang Shen could do was to stand there and hold her breath and stare intently at the photo. The longer she stared, the more the picture became familiar. The more familiar it became, a small memory suddenly began to resurface in her mind.

All at once and quite unexpectedly, she nearly gasped aloud.

There, in the photo, wedged within the arms of a young and beautiful woman, was a child, maybe three or four years of age. A man, dark haired and as handsome as any Tang had ever seen, embraced the two from behind. Both adults smiled into the camera, their teeth gleaming white, while the child beamed with an equally joyful expression. They were all in costume, including the child, with the shimmery fabric teal in color and bordered with silver sequence. The trio seemed genuinely happy.

Then, rocking her world even more, a sudden voice echoed up from the past, filling her mind…

_"Hey, there, girlie," it sounded out from the deep recesses of her subconscious, "Smile big for your Uncle Smitty. That's the way, yeah, smile like you do when your daddy takes you up on the wire…" _

Just as suddenly, though, the voice faded out and was quickly gone.

As strange at it sounded to her, Tang could not deny the familiarity of the picture nor the words she had heard in her head.

_"No, this – cannot be…" _she uttered in denial under her breath, clutching the photograph tighter in her hands.

Now the girl was the one who trembled, her breathing quickening as a rare panic bubbled up from deep within. As she studied the picture, she noted that there was a striking resemblance to the woman and herself. Looking anxiously at the girl again and, for reasons that defied all logic or explanation, Tang suddenly, as if waking from a nightmare, recognized her.

The little girl in the photo, sporting a mop of long, curly red hair and with large eyes of shocking blue, stared back as if taunting her. Her cherub creamy cheeks, blushed pink with joy, teased her, the toothy grin of youth mocking her very presence. As Tang took in the impossibility of it all, one thing was certain and undeniable. As she looked harder at the picture and as much as she wanted to deny it, the child was none other than herself,

Her sudden recollection nearly made her ill.


	2. Punishment

**_DISCLAIMER_**_: I guarantee that the TMNT's will be in this story, but as a flashback. Right now, I need to forewarn the more sensitive readers that, though much if it is implied, the following chapter will explain what Tang Shen endured before waking up in the cell. Torture, basically. I don't do torture, very well, I don't read it very well, but it is part of this character's history. Some of you might figure out who she really is, some of you may not. Either way, she is – for now – Tang Shen. However, not the Tang Shen you might be thinking of. _

_Again and as before, I am only borrowing from the TMNT universe. I only own Tang._

**Chapter 2 – Punishment**

She tried to stand, but with the bruises and abrasions that covered her body, it was difficult at best. Shakily, she did, yet Tang knew it would not be for long as she could feel her legs already preparing to give out. Just the same, she would not cower nor would she lay defeated. She looked around a bit more and saw one guard watching her, sneering, and obviously enjoying the view.

Though she was still naked, Tang was well past the point of feeling self-conscious and insecure. Years ago, she had learned not to be ashamed or to feel the least bit uneasy about such matters. She was ninja, after all, and ninja never allowed anything to distract them or to make them feel weak. Embarrassment was a weakness, and, therefore, a weakness that she would never tolerate; her training would not allow it.

Now upright, though painfully so, Tang checked her injuries. There were cuts that needed tending to, but she doubted very much her clan would give her the means to do it. After all, she was in disgrace and, therefore, no longer considered family.

She was not even considered human.

This was her punishment.

Tenderly, she touched the skin around each wound, grimacing in pain as she did. However, she mentally pushed the pain aside as she checked to make sure that the manrikigusari had only left imprints and cuts, not tiny slivers of metal.

She knew that her clan would often get 'creative' with beatings. To augment the punishment, sometimes they would slather an acidic adhesive to the chains and then dust metal shavings over it, so that with the first strike, their victim would be glittered with these metallic splinters. The burning goop would allow the shavings to adhere to the skin, adding more agony to the punishment, while subsequent hits with the chain would only deepen the tiny objects into the epidermal wounds.

Sighing, Tang was relieved to discover that, for now, she had escaped such torture. Yet, they were far from finished with her. More than likely, they would save this bit of 'entertainment' for later on, once she had full appreciation of her injuries.

However, she hurt so badly and they had so severely beaten her that she had trouble remembering exactly what implements her punishers used. She knew that the whole process had taken several hours, where she was shown as an example to anyone else thinking about quitting the Foot. Tang laughed a little, her breathing hitching as she did, as she thought how ludicrous it was for her to think that he would just let her go. Yes, he did say he loved her, that much she remembered, but the sneer on his face as the words came out of his mouth, was a contradiction in terms.

_"My Tang Shen,"_ he stated for all to hear, _"I do love you; please remember that – but you have left me no other course but to make an example of you."_ She lay in front of him on her knees, her upper torso collapsed in a forward position of submission, forced to lie that way as he examined her wounds. He had lifted her chin, then, forcing her to look up at him. She had already endured the cat-o-nine-tails and other whips and chains – including the manrikigusari, as well as kicks and strikes from her brethren. Blood ran from her bruised mouth and she could tell that she had already lost a few of her teeth. With her face, now swollen, Tang had difficulty opening her eyes and she was quite sure that her right cheekbone was shattered.

However, when she gazed up at him, she did not see love – but hate and disappointment. _"I must do this, Tang…"_ he cooed evilly to her, _"you have disgraced us, and, even though we were to be married, my dear, even you are not above reproach. You do understand this?"_

He waited for her to respond, but Tang was near to losing consciousness. She had already an hours worth of beatings, which followed the first hour of her rape by his Elite force. Suddenly, she felt his hand grab her chin harder, pain rocketing through her as it became apparent that she had indeed lost several teeth. _"**Answer me, Tang Shen…do you understand why I am allowing this?"**_

Now, his voice nearly deafened her, echoing through the cavernous warehouse and heard by the masses of soldiers and initiates who had witnessed her beating. _"No one leaves the Foot, not even my betrothed. You have shamed us with your betrayal, shamed yourself and you must be punished." _

Still she refused to answer himHe released her, then, watching as she slumped to the concrete flooring, naked, beaten, yet still alive. _"You're punishment is not quite over, though. There are still many more ways of making you see the dishonor that you have brought upon this clan."_

Two Elite picked her up and took her from the main area of the warehouse. Unable to stand or to walk, they dragged her to a small room, where a chair, embedded with tiny needles and the sides filled with manacles, awaited her. Almost thrown into it, she bit her tongue to keep from crying out. The skin on her back, shredded from the whips and the like, protested the needles now adding insult to injury, while blood pooled down the sides of the vinyl chair. However, as she instinctively tried to extricate herself from the contraption, her tormentors pushed her roughly back into place. Quickly, they strapped her skull to the headrest and secured her arms and legs, making it impossible for her to move.

Straps along her torso kept her rigid; the option to squirm taken from her, not that she wanted to. The needles acted like Velcro against her skin, preventing and discouraging anyone from even wanting to move. Yet, she would not cry out, she would not give them the satisfaction. Tang Shen was not the Prime Elite for being weak; that much she would prove. If she died, she would die with honor, she would not call out for mercy. Tang Shen would persevere, if it were the last thing she did.

Despite her inability to move arm or leg, her eyes, however, were able to take everything in. She watched as the technician prepared for the session. A man of years and his face hardened from the kind of job he did, he never made eye contact with her. Then again, he never did with any of his subjects. Even though she had dined with him, along with the others that now stood watching, she was no longer Tang Shen. She was The Dishonored. She had earned her punishment. An example of her had to be set.

Tang quickly noted the tray of implements to her right. Sharp, hideous looking tools that would make even a dentist or a surgeon quake with uncertainty. Some were quite dainty, while others were grotesque in their shape and size. There was also the cattle prods, but enhanced by her lover's engineers. Pulsating shots of electricity would enhance or numb, depending on the type of torture. A victim might lose the use of his lungs, just long enough for him to think he was dying. Or, his sight, or some other sensory organ compromised, all to break and force the person to wish for death, to beg for death.

Yet, for Tang Shen, the worst part was, she knew what the tools were for and how the technician would use them. Glancing up at the wall across from her, she saw the camera. She knew that everything happening to her, now, would be video fed into the warehouse, played upon the screen, for all to witness. Not one act that they would do to her would be done in private. All would know her shame, know her disgrace, and know her punishment.

She knew this because she had witnessed such torture in the same way.

Nevertheless, despite her knowledge of such things, despite the fact that she knew what would happen if she denounced her affiliation with her clan, Tang knew that she had to quit the Foot, that is if she were to regain her humanity again. Dying in this way was not as horrific as living the way she had for the past eleven years, eleven years of brainwashing that forced her, trained her, to forget who she once was. To forget her murdered family, to forget the life she had - before Oruku Saki had kidnapped her.

Then, the first sharp pain crudely brought her back to the present. Now, the real torture began. As it did and as she tried to meditate, to draw herself away from the horror, Tang Shen remembered the words from a week ago. They were words from her memory, words spoken to her when she was a child of six, before HE came, before the end of the world, as she knew it, and before her life changed forever. Tang Shen tried to fall into the abyss of her lost, but recently regained memories.

However, as things progressed and as the extent of her torture increased, Tang had no other recourse but to fall back on her training. Because, despite her inner strength and all HE had taught her, Tang's endurance slowly, and with frightening clarity, began to melt away.

Before she lost consciousness and as the technician pulled the last nail from her broken fingertips, Tang cried out two strangled words.

They were words that she thought she would never utter and that her lover would need to hear from her before he could end her hellish experience. Two words a true Foot ninja would never say and which only proved her dishonor.

"**JIHI, JIHI, ONEGAI!"**

_(Mercy, mercy, please!)_

_-_

_**Author's**** Comments**:I want to thank a reader for clarifying the last phrase that Tang uttered. I had it differently, but there are many ways to say 'please' in the Japanese language, depending on circumstances. Onegai is for begging, pleading, praying. So, a deep thanksto **Jago Li Son Shiranui** __forhelping me out:0) _

_Also,any Foot ninja to cry out and beg for mercy, as Tang is doing, is looked upon as dishonorable._


	3. The Choice

**DISCLAIMER: **Sorry for the delay in this update. Other projects were born and forced my focus elsewhere. As before, I only own Tang Shen and – in this chapter – Chin. Everyone else is owned by Eastman and Laird.

**Chapter 3 – The Choice**

Tang held the wazikashi in her hand. She trembled once, and then twice. Seated on her knees, the coldness of the concrete made her shiver. Much as she tried, though, she couldn't help it. She knew that her body was only reacting to the hours of abuse subjected to it, as well as from her lack of covering. Considering the fact that the cage was set up in a large cavernous warehouse prohibited any heat whatsoever from making a difference.

Therefore, dipping deep into her ninjitsu, she shoved the discomfort and her almost debilitating pain aside. As she gripped the decorative handle of the weapon, she ignored the ache in her nail-less fingertip and recalled the assignment given to her only moments earlier.

He had offered her two choices.

_"My dear Tang,"_ Saki had murmured compassionately as he knelt beside her_, "I truly want you reinstated back into the family." _

Tang had said nothing, but kept her head and eyes lowered in submission. He had eyed her, then, appreciatively, reaching out and giving her the briefest of touches along one of two areas of her anatomy left unscathed. It was his wish that the pair be unmolested, his desire to not mar what he considered perfection. Yet, despite her tormented physical condition and having most of her flaming, auburn hair ripped out by her female constituents, Saki still saw Tang Shen as a fetching young woman. In fact, he had known her quite intimately. He was, after all, her lover and it grieved him terribly that she had made such a disastrous choice and in front of the entire assembly of his Prime Elite, no less.

As a result, it only forced his hand to discipline her.

While he knelt beside her, Saki had gently tested her wounds with his fingertips, grimacing slightly at their ugliness. When the girl tensed silently from his touch, he had sighed in an almost sympathetic way. Just the same and before he rose back to a stand, however, he leaned in close to her and whispered, _"These cuts will make lasting scars to remind you and anyone else to not betray me. You have your mission, Tang. Choose wisely and I will spare no expense to minimize their obvious appearance."_

Now, Shen was alone, left there to make her decision without any witnesses. Saki had given her one hour to decide. What she did with that hour would determine where she aligned herself. If she killed the rat, then he would know her allegiance was with the Foot. If she killed herself, then she would still regain her honor, albeit posthumously.

However, if she failed to do either, then The Doctor would be her fate. That is, her previous tormentor would use her as his personal guinea pig for whatever experiments he deemed fit. Tang was quite familiar with his ways. The results of his creative endeavors would send chills up the backs of most hardened of ninja in the clan. No one dared anger Saki to the point where punishment meant an appointment with the most feared practitioner. He, above all, helped to keep at bay any rebellions or uprisings within the organization.

To Saki, The Doctor was indispensable.

Now, Tang grasped the implement, knowing her fate had two paths. Both demanded a death, in one way or another. Yet, as she looked up at the creature, chained to the wall and only a few feet away from her, she thought back to its capture.

Nearly a week before, word had come to the clan that a new enemy had presented itself; freaks of nature that justified the 'alligator in the sewer' myth. Although these aberrations in their natural state would have been the most benign of species in the wild, these creatures were anything but.

In spite of the fact that their physique in and of itself should have been prohibitive, they fought as well as any of Saki's Elite - and maybe even better.

As it was, Saki had been livid to learn that associates of his, who were in the process of procuring ill-gained electronics from a news van, had their mission thwarted by these mysterious warriors. At the time, a news reporter from the station had happened upon the theft in progress. It was during the gang's attempt to quiet her that they found themselves under attack by this outside force.

Afterwards, Tang remembered the confused rage of her beloved when he learned of this new threat, how mortally offended he was that anyone could or would challenge his supremacy. To make matters worse, the next day there had been a televised news account by the same woman reporter concerning rumors surrounding the Foot clan's existence. That was when Saki sent several of his minions to follow her.

They were only to warn Miss Oneal, to impress upon her the wisdom of leaving well enough alone. Trailing her to the police precinct, they knew that she would take the subway home. However, the ensuing confrontation in the empty station between the reporter and the ten ninja, which rendered the woman unconscious, brought about another encounter with the mysterious warriors. Only, this time instead of many, there was only one who engaged with Saki's forces. Nevertheless, this lone warrior had effectively disabled them, successfully rescuing the unconscious woman, and escaping with her into the depths of the subway tunnel.

As it was, if it had not been for one soldier's quick recovery, the clan might never have learned of the location of this mysterious ninja's home. When the soldier, Chin, followed the trench-coat-and-hat wearing creature, and then discovered its lair, he almost questioned his own sanity. Nevertheless, out of all of Saki's warriors, Chin was the most levelheaded. He knew that his word would carry much weight with his master.

However, the juxtaposition was that, instead of Saki lauding him for a job well done, Chin found Saki's hand slapped hard against his face. The force of the impact sent the hapless ninja hard to the concrete floor in complete surprise.

Tang clearly remembered Saki's loud, angry voice as he accused, "**Liar**!"

It was only an automatic response of disbelief from the Ninjitsu lord, for how could something so extraordinary exist? Yet, as Saki glared down at his cowering Elite, there was sincerity in the young man's quavering countenance that convinced the master the young ninja was anything but dishonest.

"You speak the truth?" he had asked sternly.

"Yes, Master, I – I would do nothing less for you," the boy's immediate reply came. "I would rather commit hara-kiri than to lie." He sucked in a painful breath, spitting out one dislodged and bloody molar as he did, "They are freaks of nature, yet the one who attacked us fought as we do. His style is different though, ancient in its execution and he carries a sai, as well. There are three others like him. But there is also a fifth one among them, a rat that is as large as they are." Chin dared to look up at his master as he added softly, flinching for fear of receiving another strike from his mentor, "And - they all speak, my lord!"

Tang recalled how Saki had trembled in rage, wondering how anything like this could be. Finally, he turned away from the cowering soldier and said to her, his eyes blazing, "My beloved and faithful Tang; you will take twenty of your fellow Prime Elite and capture these creatures." Seething, he looked back down at the Foot Elite reposed at his feet, "Chin will lead you. I want proof of their existence. Even if one is all you bring back, I will be pleased." Saki looked back at his beloved again, sneering, "Kill the rest if you have to, but I want one to make an example of!" He smiled then, "At the very least, I may be able to determine how they came be; maybe the Doctor can create an army of these mutants for the clan's own gain."

With Chin as guide, he led Tang Shen and twenty Foot Elite into the sewers, quickly arriving at the location of the mutants' lair. The infiltration had gone better than they had hoped. After reconnoitering the general area, they found that the only inhabitant of the lair was the rat. Where the other creatures were, was of no concern to Tang. All she knew was that the odds were now in her teams' favor. After a brief, but furious fight between her Prime Elite brethren and the overgrown rodent, Tang stepped in to finish the job. She had originally planned to kill the creature, but where it supposedly had the ability to speak, she wanted her master the opportunity to question it.

Maybe then, Saki would find out how this freak came into existence.

Yet, now as she sat there in her cell and recalled these events, Tang Shen cringed. She remembered bringing the bound mutation to headquarters and throwing him down before her master in triumph, knowing Saki would be pleased. He accepted her word that the other creatures were not present for the attack, Saki assuring her that they would eventually suffer the same fate as the one now in custody.

However, when the ninja master attempted to question the creature, the rat refused to say a single word. Even after Saki had struck the animal alongside its face multiple times, it uttered not a sound, not even a groan. It just looked at the Ninja lord with large, liquid eyes. The animal's whiskers would twitch now and then with his ears turned back, almost defensively, while his tail hung limp along the floor.

Yet, despite the abuse heaped upon it, the abomination remained mute.

Tang now looked up at the creature, forced to stand with its arms chained high against the wall. She could see dryness around its mouth, evidence of dehydration from lack of water. How many days ago had it been when she first brought it to her master? Two? Maybe it would be better to end its misery, now, she thought to herself, before things became worse. Maybe she would kill it and then commit seppuku to cease her own hellish existence. That way, she would release both herself and this poor animal from certain torment at the hands of The Doctor. Tang was certain that even if she did kill only the rat, Saki would still hand her over to his administrator of justice. There was never an ounce of mercy for anyone who betrayed the clan the way she had done. Her present condition proved to her that just because of her station with Saki, there wouldn't be any leniency for her.

It was then that she knew what she had to do. Struggling to stand erect once again, she looked around. No one was in sight. She and the rat were truly alone with her decision. However, what Saki would find upon his return would destroy any attempt by him to torture either her or the creature. Once she completed her task, it would make little difference if the rat could talk.

Taking painful, hesitant steps, she closed the gap between herself and the mutant, gripping and clenching the wazikashi in her right hand. Tang gulped back her resistance, steeling herself for what she knew she had to do. As she reached the pitiful creature and as she stared at it, she took in its full appearance. She had surmised shortly after subduing the creature in its lair that this was no ordinary rat. Yet, it had an almost 'human' quality to it that suggested wisdom. She could not say why, but she definitely sensed that this entity was more than the sum total of its species. Its breathing was shallow and labored, the strain on the animal apparent with its forced up-right position.

"Yes, killing you will be a blessing, and an end to your suffering," she murmured quietly aloud, "As my own death will be for me."

A solitary teardrop tracked its way down along her right cheek as she shuddered involuntarily. It was the first time in all her agony that Tang Shen allowed such emotion to show itself. She barely caught the sob that tried to escape, swallowing it back determinedly. Never would she ever allow Saki to see such a display and, in the event he had cameras set up in the cell, this time would be no different.

Nevertheless and clenching the wazikashi in her grip, Tang brought her arm back with the cutting edge of the blade mere inches from the rat's throat. She would slice his windpipe and the carotid artery. In that way, he would bleed out quickly, allowing for a swift end with little suffering.

It was the least she could do for him, considering what his fate would be in the hands of The Doctor.


	4. Epithet

**_Disclaimer – _**_I apologize for taking so long. My muses began to get generous with other ideas for stories and, as all writers know, if you don't take advantage of such offerings, someone else gets them! _

_I promise you that The TMNT's will be making an appearance in this story, but not until the final chapter. _

_First, however, here's a word from the guy that we all love to hate – and I promise not to make such a cliffhanger as I did with the last chapter. Well, unless you're completely clueless to this particular TMNT AU, that is. LOL_

_As before, I own only Tang Shen. _

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**Chapter 4 – Epithet**

As he thought back to his visit with her, Saki swallowed deeply; it saddened him to see Shen in such a tortured state. Yet, her rebellion had left him with no other choice.

At first, after returning from her mission, she had dutifully knelt before him, her head bowed, as she confirmed the turtle's whereabouts. When she admitted to challenging one of them and knocking the mutant out, Saki's smile was as wide as his shoulders. Although she had acted without permission from him, her first victory over them dismissed any notion of rebuttal from the ninja lord.

However, as Tang went on to tell how she had tried to battle the other three turtles and how she found herself greatly overmatched, eventually forced to abandon the fight, Saki's smile slowly began to fade. Yet, what further chilled the man's heart to stone - and to the shock and gasps of the Prime Elite in attendance, Tang Shen suddenly renounced her allegiance to the Foot clan. Citing her recalled memories and then her recently procured knowledge of how Saki had obtained her, she rose to a defiant stand in front of him. With her hands clenched in anger, she next declared her disgust over the lies he had forced her to live by. When she finished, a sudden deathly hush fell over the room they were in, the pronouncement stunning all who were present - Saki included.

Nevertheless, fury and rage were hardly the right words to describe the man's mood then. Had the girl succeeded in dispatching these annoying mutants, the ninja master might have forgiven Shen her blatant act of rejection. He would have had to punish her, of course, but with only a simple whipping, followed by a few re-conditioning sessions with the doctor. Still, the fact that Tang had done this act before the entire company of Prime Elite dishonored the ninja lord in the worse possible way.

If Saki had not loved her, he would have slain her right there and then. As it was, staying his hand from smiting her had only compounded the shame Tang brought against him. The moment he had sensed his troops' confusion with his lack of immediate response, Saki knew that he had hesitated too long. Consequently, with the stability of his forces at stake, the ninja master had no other recourse but to implement as heavy a punishment upon her as he would against any of his lower stationed soldiers.

In any event, with the information that Tang shared about the turtles' whereabouts, Saki promptly alerted his field operators to the freaks' hideout, with Tatsu heading out to join them. Later, his second-in-command had reported that they had arrived just shortly before the turtles and the reporter were getting ready to leave. As it had been with Tang, the soldiers failed to dispatch them as well, except this time the fight resulted in a fire that burned down the building, with their prey racing off in an old, beat up van. This second defeat only fueled Saki's anger more, with the need for revenge taking precedence over everything else.

After all, if these freaks could upend his highly trained warriors so easily, Saki knew that the success of his empire was in question. The quicker he dispatched them, the quicker he could return to 'business as usual'.

Nevertheless, as he sat there in his office, slumped in his chair, the question remained in Saki's mind as to where the turtles had disappeared. He'd had their rat, now, for two days. Yet, his field operators had not seen a trace of the mutants. He fully did expect some sort of a search for the rat by them. Had Tang beat the one turtle so badly that now they were all running in fear? The fact that one of his Prime Elite had succeeded in almost dispatching one of them, maybe they wondered if there were more like her. Saki hoped so. It would be a small victory for him if the girl had gravely injured one of them and forced the others to vacate the city to avoid more like confrontations. He just might reinstate her if that did indeed happen.

Just the same, he had to wonder where these creatures would go to where his men could not follow or trace. Where could they hide other than in the sewers? Despite his hopes, Saki was certain they would not go far, not without the rat, and they certainly wouldn't give up so easily…not with the ninjitsu skills that they reportedly had.

As it was, none of his men who had staked out the mutants' lair had seen any trace of them. It was as if the freakish turtles had vaporized into thin air.

Nevertheless, as his thoughts drifted back to the girl, Saki sighed deeply. "What memories resurfaced?" he wondered petulantly, "What did she remember to cause her to throw her training away like that, to challenge me in front of my men?"

Still, despite his disappointment with her recent act, he recognized that Shen would have made an excellent wife and partner in the clan. More than likely, she would have given to him an heir for his mighty empire. Although years earlier, a child did spring forth from their relationship, a daughter was not what Saki had wanted. Yet, in light of Shen's current misdeed, Saki wondered in that moment if he had made a possible mistake in stealing the infant away so soon.

At the time, it was inconvenient for anyone so young to be part of the clan, the work in and around New York counterproductive to providing a safe environment. Back then, Saki had just begun organizing his business of crime and had not wanted the distraction of a whimpering infant under his feet.

With a sigh, he realized the topic was irrelevant, where he had sold the baby by proxy soon after its birth. Even he was ignorant of the adoptive parents' identity, where he insisted through a third party an undisclosed agent to handle the affair, just so that there wouldn't be any record leading to back to him, or to her. The fact that Saki never desired compensation, where he allowed his proxy to accept all monies paid, kept a paper trail from forming.

Still, he wondered if he had made a mistake. His daughter would now have been old enough for training, and then, in fifteen or twenty years, she would be able to take over the 'family business', thereby allowing him to retire. It was not as if he and Shen couldn't try again to have a child, but there was always the possibility that she – or even he – would be fatally injured in a skirmish. They were a perfect match, in his opinion.

Still, it was a mute point, though, since the child was gone and irretrievable and his beloved now sat beaten and punished in the makeshift holding cell.

Now, as each minute passed, Saki sat there in his chair and wondered what decision his fiancé, Shen, would make. In all honesty and despite his initial plans for it, the man hoped to find the rat dead. He wanted to reconcile with the girl and to get the needed treatment for her wounds. Yet the fact that his betrothed had ended up feeling contrite for her part with the creature's capture and torture, and even said so when she chose to betray the clan, Saki wondered if Tang would end up taking drastic measures.

Just the same, he had given her an hour. There was still some thirty-five minutes yet to go before her time was up, and currently, he had other things to worry about. With Foot soldiers skulking through the city for the troublesome turtles, he had been waiting impatiently for any news of their return. So far, after two days, word of their return had not come back to him. It was as if the turtles had disappeared – and without a trace.

Suddenly, he felt a presence. Saki narrowed his eyes as he focused and then he smiled, "You have news, soldier?" he asked. He never turned around in his chair to see, he just knew the boy was there, and he could tell that it greatly unnerved him. The ninja lord smirked, sensing the surprise and knowing the soldier had tried to be as quiet as could be. Yet, the master better trained than his minion was and had more experience with detecting other ninja. "I asked you a QUESTION!" Saki snapped.

Quickly, the youth – covered from head to toe in the familiar garb of his clan, with his head wrapped in the familiar red bandana of the Dragon clan – rushed in front of his lord and then fell to his knees, his head bowed. "We…ah…I could not find anything, master." The boy cringed and waited. Initially, he thought he had escaped his superior's wrath. However, in the next moment, he learned otherwise.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" Saki growled loudly in frustration, then striking the young man across the head and sending him to the floor. "Get out of my **_sight_**!" the master seethed, "I accept no failures."

"Master?" a gravely voice inquired. It was Tatsu. He had just entered Saki's office and was now waiting patiently just inside the room, ready to do his will, whatever it might be. He watched as the other Foot soldier peeled his form off the floor. Then, as the youth kept his head lowered out of respect to Saki, he backed out of the room and, once he was beyond the door's threshold, took off running.

"Those…**_turtles!_** Have you heard anything at all?" the armored man demanded hotly, not turning around to face his assistant, "It seems nobody else has!"

"No, sir," his servant replied, quickly, "the freaks have not returned," and then waited, his eyes lowered, but his head barely bowed.

Saki turned around in his swivel chair to face his assistant, causing Tatsu to stiffen every so slightly. Still, the formidable man stood his ground, neither cowering nor challenging his leader.

Saki glared at his new second in command for a long, pregnant moment, and then allowed a faint smile to crease one side of his mouth. _"Yes," _he thought to himself, _"Tatsu indeed sees me as his superior, yet he has just enough determination that keeps him from showing weakness." _He grumbled silently, _"If only my Tang Shen would have given me the same respect, I would not have punished her so severely."_

In any event, Saki barked another question to his new head ninja, "**Have you seen the boy, the one who told us about where the turtles were staying?"**

"No, Master, he has not been back since he told us about where the turtles' new hideout was," Tatsu replied

Shredder drummed his fingers along the armrests of his chair as he considered the man's answer. Then, he said with his voice low and menacing, "Keep an eye out for him. I want to know the minute he returns."

Tatsu bowed low, sustaining his posture as he replied, "The moment he does, Master, you will know!" He then left as quickly as his ninja skills allowed him.

**-------------------------**

In the brief moment, just before the knife would have cut into the creature's throat, the rat opened its eyes. Tang Shen caught the gaze almost immediately – and then hesitated.

Seconds earlier, she had been determined to end the animal's suffering and then her own. Now she paused. Facing her victims and watching their fear grow just moments before their death wasn't anything new to Tang. She was used to that. Those assignments were human, intelligent beings, victims who knew that they were going to die.

In contrast, this creature, which looked at her with intelligence clearly defined within his dark liquid orbs, held no fear whatsoever – and he seemed as intelligent as any of her victims did.

Nevertheless, before she could collect her thoughts or resume her actions, the rat spoke to her.

"Although I do not fear my death, child, why is it that you fear yours?"

Stunned to immobility, Tang's grip around the knife wavered for what seemed like an eternity. Then, almost as if it were too much for her to bear, as if his utterances were the proverbial final straw, the effect of the beast's words caused the young woman to drop her weapon.

As the implement clanged noisily and echoed within the vast cavern of the warehouse, she stumbled back away from the brute. Then, in her stunned condition, she hunched over as if ready to collapse. Actually, it was more truth than not, where the shock of the creature's ability to speak wasted away what energy she had left. Just the same, she remained standing, as she stared and gaping at the animal, who now turned his head to look at her straight away. His whiskers twitched a little, his ears swiveling towards her expectantly.

"Wh-what did you just say?" she asked haltingly in surprise.

Sighing deeply as if taxed almost to exhaustion, the rat repeated, "Why…do you…fear your death, child?"

At first, Tang could not reply. Too surprised by the animal's ability to speak, she could only stare at him. Then, as he waited patiently and watched, Tang nearly squeaked as she answered, "I'm – not afraid to die, rat."

"Then, why do you shake so?" came his quick challenge.

Tang looked down at her hands and saw how she now trembled. Yes, she was indeed shaking, but then she had been through a lot already. Nevertheless, she had never reacted so out of control, before. She then looked around to see where the cameras were, hoping that how she was standing, that she was angled away from their intrusive view. Just the same, the fact that the rat had spoken to her melted away any concerns she might have had.

"Why…is it that you have chosen to speak now?" she asked him hesitantly, looking back at him in suspicion.

"I did not have a good reason to," Splinter replied simply, lifting his snout just a little, as if amused with his answer.

Tang laughed a bit, and then asked, "What reason was good enough for you to speak, now, though?"

"Your life," he remarked softly, his whiskers twitching again.

Chuckling derisively, the woman shook her head, "But, I was the one who subdued you, brought you here, and then chained you to this fence. Why would you even care about _my_ life," she spat out, forgetting what compassion she had had earlier for the creature.

"All life is sacred, child, even those who would cause me harm," again, another simple reply from the rat.

Tang Shen quieted her sarcasm as she considered the creature's words. She studied him and saw gentleness, even though her memory told her that he was just as capable of inflicting pain – if only to protect himself. She saw wisdom there as well as in his words, so finally, she asked, "Do you…have a name?"

"Yes," he replied, and then waited.

"Well?" she asked, "Are you going to leave me hanging here or are you going to tell me?"

"You did not ask if you wanted to know, but…" Splinter smiled, "I am called Master Splinter by my sons."

"Master?" the girl replied, wide eyed, "your sons? You mean...those turtles are your sons?" Now, she really laughed, "In case you aren't aware of it, they're reptilian, while you are a mammal."

"This is true, but I have to ask you a question before I answer mine," the rat countered.

"And what is that?" she sneered.

"Why is it everyone here calls The Shredder their father, when it's perfectly obvious he is not?"

Tang went silent again as she thought about the rat's words. It only took a moment before she understood, "I see…so, you are as much a father to those turtles as Shredder is to me and the other members of the Foot."

"You are very wise, child, which conflicts with your plan to kill yourself," Splinter remarked.

"It is because of honor, rat. You know nothing of honor if you do not understand why I was going to commit seppuku," she declared indignantly.

"I know much about honor, child, but it is apparent that what honor you were taught, whoever taught you…lied to you," the rat remarked quickly. "Honor will not let you steal, honor will not let you murder, honor will only lead you to righteousness and integrity. Courage is what is lacking in your kind of honor."

Tang's instant anger overshadowed her previous compassion for the rat. In one blindingly swift movement and despite her physical condition, Tang procured the knife from the floor and quickly brought it back up against the mutant's throat once again, stating, "I resent your remark, _freak_!" she seethed under her breath.

"Do you?" he whispered cautiously, "Or, do you resent the fact that I have just told you what you need to hear, but you refuse to accept it?" He breathed a little easier as the girl slowly moved the knife away from his neck again, her hard expression softening ever so slightly. The rat then went on, "I could not help but overhear what Shredder told you earlier, and what two choices he gave to you. Before that, the guards that brought you here, talked about you while you were lying unconscious upon the floor." Splinter took another labored breath, "Although I chose not to speak then, I did decide to listen." He seemed to smile, and went on to say, "They said you have made a fatal choice about your place in this clan – as it seems to have cost you your position, in fact."

Solemnly, Tang turned away as her shoulders slumped. Her arms hung listlessly to her side, one hand still grasping the wazikashi. "You are right, of course; I have shamed my clan with my betrayal." She turned towards the creature and laughed a little, "I was going to put you out of your misery before my own, just to keep you from further harm." Looking upwards towards the ceiling far above her, the girl chuckled, "And I failed with that, too." Dropping her head and slipping back down onto her haunches, she now sat on the floor cross-legged in front of the rat. "I have been…remembering things," she said simply, "things from my…past…and…" she looked up at the creature, "I can't decide what to do or believe anymore."

"I have ears with nothing better to do than to listen," Splinter encouraged, "you may use them, if you wish. For the moment, I am not going anywhere," he smiled at her.

Tang looked up and had to smile, too, at the irony and small joke the creature just made to her. Yet, as she gazed upon his face, she saw that wisdom and gentleness she had noticed earlier, and it was something that she had desired for what seemed like such a long time. Saki had never been one to show her such an expression. Only one other person had done so, and he was long dead, murdered along with his wife in a trailer fire, when Tang had a different name.

Now, with nothing better to do herself, and knowing that she could not follow through with her initial plans to kill the rat, Tang Shen told him her name and then began the task of telling this creature, this Splinter, what events led up to present state. She told him all that she had experienced over the course of the past two weeks, beginning with the circus, how she encountered one of his sons on top of the reporter's apartment, and then ending with the event that had brought her to her current condition.

"After talking with that man at the circus, I decided to use my training and I break into my master's office. Tatsu was working with recruits while my master was out of the warehouse. I knew they would both be gone for a while, especially where my master was not wearing his uniform. He will sometimes dress as any American would and walk the streets. He likes to stroll through Central Park; I think he misses Japan." Tang shared, going on to say, "Anyway, it took a while, but I found a CD in his private collection that piqued my interest. He had labeled it simply as 'Tang'. I knew then, that it was about me." The girl sighed as she recollected the events as they happened, "After slipping it into the computer, what I discovered on it almost made me sick. He had kept every snippet of news about my parents' horrible death, about how their daughter, me, was presumed dead in the fire. I found that he had even kept a log of my training, adding thoughts and suggestions to enhance my natural and ninjitsu-trained abilities. Nevertheless, with finding out about my parents, my true heritage, I knew I could not continue living the lie he had made for me. Yet, I also knew that I did not know how to stop it. It wasn't until later, when I was sent to investigate a rumor of where your sons were staying."

Splinter nodded in interest as Tang continued, "A young boy had evidently seen one of them at this reporter's apartment and shared that information with my master. I was sent to investigate."

Tang hesitated and looked at the rat. His interest in what she had to say was keenly obvious, yet she seriously wondered how he would react to the next part of her story. Nevertheless, even if he had wanted to, she knew he would not be able to smite her, so, Tang continued, "When I arrived at the apartment I saw one of them on the rooftop. He seemed rather upset with the way he was going through some simple katas. I guess one couldn't blame him, where he was probably concerned for your well being."

She bowed her head respectfully, "I'm so sorry for what I did to you – and to what I did to him."

Splinter lowered his muzzle and looked intently at the young woman, holding his tongue in anticipation of what she would say next.

Then, she looked back up at the rat, with her eyes tearing, "Anyway, I went inside the building and climbed the stairs to gain access to the roof and once I was there, I engaged in battle with your son. He wore a red bandanna and he fought very well with his pair of sais, but his temper undermined his training."

She noticed a wry smile and nod from the rat, as if concurring with her, "After teasing him and taunting him to see where his weaknesses were, I made my move. After several precise strikes, I quickly rendered him unconscious. That was when I noticed a skylight nearby." She saw a brief look of concern come to Splinter's eyes, but she did not slow her telling, "When I investigated and saw that the other three were directly below me in the upper apartment, I managed to pull your son to it and pushed him over. He crashed through, of course, and then landed unexpectedly in what I assumed to be the living room, right at the feet of your other sons." She sighed deeply, then, and continued, "I waited, to see what they would do and was pleased to find that the reporter was there as well. She had been quite a nuisance to my master."

Splinter sighed deeply, his whiskers twitching while his ears swiveled back. Tang could not discern his mood, but it wouldn't have been too surprising her if he were indeed angry with her right then. In either event, Tang swallowed, and then said, "However, when they looked up at me, I jumped down into the room and prepared myself for battle. As I did, I quickly noticed the various pictures of people that this April Oneal had scattered throughout the area. They reminded me of my own lost family." Tang raised her head a little, as if regaining a little courage, "In any event, the one turtle in orange challenged me, and then immediately, the others did likewise, each brandishing their weapon. I still had both of my katana but after a very brief skirmish, I lost one and then realized that even though I out maneuvered their brother on the roof, collectively his three brothers were too much for me to combat alone. I was only supposed to reconnoiter the area, anyway, and bring back information that would validate the rumor. I went against orders even to engage them. I had acted rashly, believing myself capable of defeating them, but I realized almost too late that it was a foolish decision. Consequently, after the one in blue managed to rip off half my hood and mask, revealing my red hair, I soon found myself running away."

Tang sighed deeply, "Along the way and as I thought about my lost family, it was then that I realized that my heart had changed. Still, my training demanded that I return to the warehouse, to our headquarters. However, if I had known to what extent my master would have punished me…" She looked up, now, sincere regret and maybe even a bit of fear in her eyes.

Splinter had listened intently to Shen's story, nodding now and then throughout her telling, and expressing words of compassion to her when needed. As she finally finished, they both became silent, contemplating the quiet that now surrounded them. In the background, they could sense someone coming.

Quickly, knowing that his time was short, Splinter spoke, "I do not know what will become of me, Shen, but you must preserve your life. I have a very strong sense that you will play an important roll in my clan's future. I do not know what exactly it will be, but I want you to know that I _forgive you_…for all that you have done to me and for what you have done to my son, Raphael."

The girl looked up at him, tears brimming at her eyes, as he went on to say, "You retelling the event did anger me for a brief moment, but I know that Raphael is alive." He smiled as the girl looked at him in question, "Yes, he has a name, as do his brothers, but he is alive and…" he glanced around carefully, turning back to the girl as he whispered softly, "they will soon be back in the city. I anticipate a rescue, and if it is possible, you may come with us." He saw an ever-so-subtle blushing of the girl's cheeks, assessing her physical condition, and so he said, "Your nakedness will not bother them, child. I will tell them that Shredder had abused you. They will give you covering as soon as they are able to and more than likely before you leave this warehouse." He sighed, however, "But, if we are separated, you must promise me that you will do everything what you can to stay alive."

"Why would my life be of any importance to you, Splinter?" the girl asked as she moaned, "Even though I was kidnapped at a young age, I have dishonored not only the Foot clan, but I have also brought you and your family much harm, as well." Her voice hitched a little as she said, "I deserve _death_. In fact, your sons may do the honor of killing me, if they reach us in time." She looked up, with tears now streaming down her face as the weight of her deeds and the overwhelming stress of her situation became too much to bear.

"My sons will not kill you, Tang Shen, and I will not let them," Splinter explained sternly, "Just be assured that I know you are worthy of life." He again repeated himself, "I _forgive_ you, child."

At the time that she had told him her name, Splinter had thought it odd that she would bear the same one as his late master's wife. It was obvious to him that the girl was not of Asian ancestry, considering how the Shredder had acquired her. Yet changing her name to one that was Japanese in origin wasn't too surprising. Still, it did cause him to wonder a great deal about it.

In response to his absolution of her crimes, Tang was about to stand, to bow to the creature in appreciation for his compassion. It was then when she heard movement from behind her. Turning around, she noticed a couple of her compatriots walking into the area, their stride purposeful and determined. She realized, then, that her hour was up. The fact that she and the rat still among the living told them she had made her choice.

Tang Shen instinctively stood up and backed away from them as they unlocked the cage. They then stepped through the opening, without hesitation, walked over to her, each roughly taking one of her arms in hand. Quickly and as they had been trained to do, they forced her to her knees, stating, "Tang Shen, you have an appointment with the Doctor, it seems!" they sneered, and then jerked her back up onto her feet, dragging the girl out of the enclosure and soon out of sight.

Splinter watched mutely, his whiskers twitching as he did, with his mind reaching out to the girl who had just left him. As her guards whisked her into the deepest part of the warehouse, Splinter mentally probed her consciousness, silently encouraging her. As he did this, he finally told Tang Shen that one day she would bring forth a child that would offer hope to his family. It was what his mediation dream had told him earlier, while she had laid unconscious on the floor. In that dream, he saw someone like her, but not like her. At the time, it had been very confusing to him, but now he was certain of one fact; and that was that Tang Shen needed to live.

Then, he sensed her reply and it surprised him. She was correcting him with how he had been addressing her as Tang Shen, the name she had given to him when she first shared her story.

_"Tang Shen is not my real name, Splinter, it is not the name my true parents gave to me." _The girl smiled in her mind as she told him, _"It is…Cassandra Edwards,"_

After a while, however, and quite rudely, their mental connection broke. Now, as Splinter tried to reestablish his link with her, Cassandra, the girl once known as Tang Shen and former betrothed of Oruku Saki, screamed out with a new kind of agonizing horror.

Meanwhile, in an office far from the sounds of her cries for mercy, The Shredder went about deleting a CD of all references to the one named Tang Shen.

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	5. The Heroes Return

**_Disclaimer_**_ - The turtles are here, they're finally really here! I'm sure you will all recognize parts of this from Movie One. However, did any of you wonder what happened before the turtles, April, and Danny, tucked themselves into bed, or how it is that Danny could slip out of the lair undetected and without any one the wiser? I mean, he's surrounded by four trained and proximity-sensitive ninja, for cry'n out loud! Anyway, I tried to research things, so I hope I have it right, for what little I've used from the movie. _

_I've__ also decided to do an epilogue. I would have to, otherwise I'd have a hoard of fan fiction readers ready to tar and feather me – even though we all know who my OC is! Anyway, thanks for reading. Leave a comment if you feel led to, and if there are any discrepancies as far as how this correlates with the first movie, blame my eagerness to tag an end to this missive. Oh, and I'd be grateful if you'd point out where, too. _

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**Chapter 5 – The Heroes Return**

Six 'people' huddled deep below the New York City landscape. A seventh took refuge above ground in an old, beat-up truck along the street, his sudden claustrophobia forcing the issue. After being gone for almost three days, he and the others had arrived back in the city only an hour earlier and all were quite tired from their long drive from the countryside. Currently, the man slept, although his body was still trying to get comfortable within the limited confines of the truck cab. He jerked his legs once in subconscious frustration, rearranged his torso a bit more and scrunched his shoulders, then finally settled down.

Meanwhile, deep inside the sewers through a twisted maze of tunnels and culverts, someone else was quite uncomfortable, as well.

"Man, I sure wish we had time to get a pizza, I'm half _starved_!" whined Mike as he rubbed his complaining stomach.

"Yeah, sorry about not putting away the leftovers," remarked Danny, "But the fridge didn't look like it worked anymore." He smiled a little as he recalled the sounds of disgust and the death dirge the turtles had hummed earlier. It was rather humorous, actually, with the way they had paid their last respects to the pizza remains, the few slices nothing more than a science project, now. The boy glanced over at the disabled appliance, where it rested ungainly on its side, useless, now, for keeping anything cold. To the boy, it was obvious that a battle had taken place in the lair, with most of the furniture and the few appliances wrecked beyond fixing.

"That's all right, Danny," Leo remarked, placing a comforting hand on the teenager's shoulder, "We're only going to stay a few hours and then head out to see if we can find our father."

Earlier, after discovering the teenager hiding in a utility cabinet, they had soon gained his trust. Although they told him about their father getting abducted, no one yet had told the boy what Splinter was. Consequently, with Leo talking about going out and finding him later, it was only natural for the young man to ask, "So, there're five of you, then?"

"Five of us?" Donnie asked as he stepped towards the boy, a puzzled look crossing his face.

"Yeah, Leo just said you have to go look for your father, so that makes five mutant turtles, right?" the boy replied.

"Ah, Danny…" Mike quirked his head, "Our father's not like us."

"He's…not?" Dan looked completely confused, "Then…ah…what is he? Human?"

"No, but, well," Mike began to say, but then Leonardo interrupted him, standing taller as he explained proudly, "Splinter's our sensei, and he trained us in the ancient art of ninjitsu. He's like a father to us because he raised us. Because of Splinter, we've been able to…"

Raphael rolled his eyes as he interrupted Leo's long-winded monologue, "He's a rat, kid, but a very special rat, kinda like us, but only…a rat," and then he twirled one of his sais in agitation and effortlessly slipped it into its sheath on his belt. "And when we do find out who took 'em from us, they're gonna wish they'd nevah been born, too!" Leo glared at Raphael indignantly, not at all pleased with his brother for interrupting him.

As Danny mentally absorbed this new bit of information, his mind went back to the warehouse, where he had seen such a creature as Raph had described. While the boy considered this, Leo softly admonished Raphael, placing a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder, "Raph, we need to be more concerned with just getting Splinter rescued."

Gruffly shrugging his brother's hand away, "Look, Leo, you can go play girl scout if you want to, but I'm playing 'revenge of the ninja' just as soon as we get Splintah back," Raph declared boldly, barely holding back a snarl at the mere thought of giving pay-back to the fools who dared take his father.

"I want rebuttal, too, Raph, but first…Splinter's safety is more important." Leo countered seriously, and before his brother could argue with him, he added, "And then you and the rest of us can pound the shell out of them, okay?"

Raph studied Leonardo for only a moment and then he gave one of his rarely seen smiles as he agreed, "Ya gotta deal, Leo. You, me, Donnie, and Mike, we'll make sushi outta all of 'em." All four brothers then gave an excited high-three smack of their hands, laughing and chuckling over their anticipated battle with the Foot.

Danny, however, absentmindedly looked at the drawing in his hand that April had given to him earlier. It showed Leonardo sleeping in a chair, somewhere in a house or a room, though he couldn't tell for sure. The boy suddenly folded it and shoved the drawing into his right, back pocket. His new friendship with these strange turtles and the kindness April had shown to him caused the boy to re-think his choices of late. It was true that he and his father were having relational problems, but it wasn't always like that. Dan could remember happier times, times when his mother was still alive, times when he was truly part of a family. If he'd had siblings, maybe he might not have felt so alone or neglected.

However, the fact was, Dan _was_ an only child and a motherless one at that. It was why he felt so close to April; she seemed to fill that void where he needed a woman's touch, a motherly influence. Worse still, where his father's work had become stressful and demanding more time, Dan felt as if he were drifting along without any purpose or destination. Initially, the Foot seemed to have provided him with one – until recently, that is.

Now, however, as he looked around and saw the camaraderie of his new friends, knowing that it was because of him April had lost her home, Danny began to feel regret for his actions. He began to question a great many things.

What was he to do, now?

"Well, guys," April remarked as she stretched and yawned, "I don't know about you, but I'm tired. That was a long drive and we've have a lot to do come morning."

"You think Casey'll be all right up there in the truck, April?" Leo asked her in genuine concern, looking upwards, as if he could see right through the pipes and concrete where Casey slept.

"Leo, I'd be more worried 'bout anyone bugging _him_," Raph laughed, "That guy can take care of 'emself, believe me."

"Yeah," Leo shrugged, thinking back to their fight against the Foot, down in April's second-hand shop days earlier, "I guess you're right."

After a while, all six reclined throughout the lair, with April taking the couch per Leonard's insistence. The rest of them took what blankets were available and spread them along the hard, concrete floor. A wild collection of blankets and comforters, obvious dumpster-rescues by the turtles, provided the cushioning – and the warmth. After a while, it appeared as if all inhabitants of the lair had drifted off to sleep.

An hour later, Danny startled awake. He had just had a nightmare and now his breathing came in quick and labored gasps as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. As perspiration coated his skin, he finally remembered where he was and then reflected upon the dream he'd just woken up from. Words from Shredder and that of the rat, Splinter, echoed conflictingly in his mind. He was in a quandary, not knowing what to do, yet for some reason the need to visit the rat, Splinter, called out to him. In just a moment's thought, he made a decision.

When the rising snores of sleeping reptiles and one human assured him of their slumber, Danny quietly and noiselessly stood up from his makeshift pallet of blankets. Stepping carefully in-between Donatello and Raphael, he slipped out of the lair undetected.

Or, so he thought.

Leo opened one eye, carefully watching Danny as the boy stepped between Don and Raph. He warily observed as the retreating youth crept out into the sewer tunnel beyond the doorway. He waited for a moment, to be certain that the boy would not double back. When he was sure that Dan had indeed left and would not be returning any time soon, the turtle sighed in relief and then slowly sat up. He quietly nudged Raphael in front of him and said, "He's gone."

"'Bout time," Raph grumped quietly and sat up, as well, with Mike and Don doing the same.

Leo looked over at April and noted that she was the only one unaware that Danny had left. She was also the only one of the five who had actually fallen asleep. "We need to wake her," he stated softly.

"Ah, Leo, can't we just let her sleep a while longer?" Mike gushed, looking affectionately at the reporter, as he smiled, "She looks so cute that way." He cooed as he grinned, appreciating the relaxed and peaceful expression on April's face, "I really do wish we could keep her, just so …" He suddenly felt a slap alongside his head as Raph smacked him. "Ow, what was that for?" he whined as he rubbed his head, glaring indignantly back to his red-banded brother.

"You know, Mike, you should get yourself a cat or something. Leave the humans alone, they don't like being kept." Raphael chuckled.

"Hey, if I was rich enough, she wouldn't mind," Mike challenged lightly, sniggering in amusement.

"Yeah, as if _you_ could ever be rich!" Donnie laughed. "That's a nice pipedream, though," he added somewhat wistfully.

"Okay, guys, knock it off," Leo admonished, getting their attention back to their current task, "we need to wake April and get her some place safe and then wait until the Foot decides to make an appearance."

"How d'ya know that'll happen, Leo?" Raph asked irritably as he stood up. Taking up his blankets he then began to fold them, commenting as he did, "Fer all ya know, Danny might just go home."

"I heard him talk in his dream, Raph," Leo explained, doing likewise with his own bedding, "Ever since last night around that campfire, whatever it was that all of us gained from that experience of mentally connecting with Splinter, I was able to use it to sense Danny's dreams tonight. It was weird, but I distinctly heard things that only our father would say. There was another voice I didn't recognize, but the other one, the syntax was too similar for it to be a coincidence, which means Danny knows where Splinter is –which means he knows where the Foot headquarters is located."

"Then why don't we follow him, LEO?" Raph snarled, "It makes no sense staying here if we can get ta Splintah by trailing the kid."

"Yeah!" Mike agreed, fondling one of his chucks in anticipation.

Leo shook his head, "Raph, Mikey, we stand a better chance of defending ourselves here in our own lair. If we go gallivanting off on a rescue mission, we'd just risk alerting the Foot. They could kill Splinter before we'd even get through the front door. Plus, with April here, I just don't want to leave her alone, and we need all of our skills to beat these guys." He sighed, "Besides, what are the chances that these ninja are staking out our place as we speak? If they attack us here, then the more we dispatch, the less we have to bother with elsewhere."

The other three turtles paused and looked warily towards the front door of the lair. They hadn't fixed the door, yet, and, so, they had no other choice but to leave it unbarred. All three seemed to stop breathing, as well, trying to listen for any unusual sounds, their concerns now for the safety of their immediate surroundings.

Satisfied that, for now, the sewers were safe, Raph turned back around to face his brother, nodding as he said, "Okay, Leo, we wait…just like you suggested. But," he glared at his brother, pointing a finger for emphasis, "only until morning. If we don't get any action by then, we book outta here and find _them_!" Don and Mike both nodded in complete agreement, this time.

Leo nodded, "Agreed!"

Where upon, Donnie exclaimed, "I just love diplomacy, don't you, Mike?" he grinned as he looked over at his younger brother.

Mike slapped Don hard on the shell and chuckled, "Yep, ninja style debating, the only way to run a clan."

Leo chuckled in response and then went about waking April. Once she was awake, he and his brothers began to prepare and plan to keep her safe and for what they feared would be the biggest battle of their lives.

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Across the city, a rat waited, chained to a fence within a non-descript warehouse. He meditated and tried to encourage one young woman to persevere. He knew that Cassandra was being tortured again, one of many such times, in fact, over the past few days. He could tell she was trying to be strong, but in the end, the poor girl could do little else but scream out in agony. Just the same, he realized that she would be beyond his reach when his sons finally did come for him.

Nevertheless, Splinter knew that one day her path would indeed cross with those of his sons', although he couldn't say for sure if he would still be alive to see it. That was one thing his dream, or his premonition, couldn't tell him. It saddened him, actually, as he would have liked to have talked with her again.

In either event, Splinter kept his mind as connected to the girl as was possible, yet it was becoming increasingly difficult with the horrific treatment the Doctor implemented against her. Still, the rat had to admire the young woman's tenacity, her talent in the ninja arts as strong as his sons training was, with the depth of her meditation keen. Splinter knew, then, that someone had trained Cassandra well. It had piqued his curiosity as to who had done the deed, his mind considering the Shredder once again

Now, as he waited, and as he sensed an end to his imprisonment, he felt a brief disturbance, as if someone was coming. He reached out with his mind and touched one that was very confused and in great conflict. A moment later, a teenage boy - red haired, dirty, and very troubled, slipped cautiously into view. Around his head, he wore a red bandanna with a kanji inscription written along the front and which looked all too familiar to the rat.

Nevertheless, Splinter nodded his head in welcome; it was the same young man that he had seen only days earlier, just before Cassandra had been thrown into the cell. The rat also sensed that the teenager had reconsidered his past choices, too. What bolstered Splinter's resolve far more, though, was that he had sensed the reason why the boy had a sudden change of heart. Somewhere, out in the city, the lad had met some new friends, friends that had influenced him and were now preparing to engage an enemy in their quest to rescue their father.

Splinter's heart warmed considerably

As the rat prepared to speak with the youth and to find out where he had been, Splinter knew that his sons had finally returned, stronger in their brotherhood, and far more united than ever before.

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	6. Transitions

**_Disclaimer_**_ – I own nothing, other than Cassandra and the college in Connecticut. At least, the imagined one depicted here in this chapter. This is the epilogue, so, thanks for reading and all of the reviews. _

_Be blessed._

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**Epilogue - Transitions**

She stood quietly along the top of the knoll, leaning against one of many elms trees planted there. Hidden within their collective shroud of shadows and almost indiscernible to anyone who would chance a look, she seemed dwarfed by the tall, stately giants. They towered protectively over the diminutive woman, bending and swaying in the breeze as it danced among them. The sound of air whispered through their mantle of greening foliage, while their fingered branches reached out across the small hill. With the eastern sun rising high from behind as it ascended towards noontime, it created deep shadows where the woman stood, effectively shielding her within their comforting embrace.

The woman watched expectantly as, fifty yards away from her and at the bottom of the embankment below, two men approached. However, although they did not see her, they did see each other. As the two sized one another up, the commons behind them teamed with rushing students and professors. All hurried on to their next class or appointments as they strode along the spider web of pathways. Around the edge of the communal grounds, multistoried brownstones dotted the college landscape, each building draped with a think covering of ivy. With the vines growing thickly along the walls, the shiny green leaves contrasted sharply against the ruddy red of brick, softening the harder edges of the aged, New England structures.

Nevertheless, as the sun rose towards midday, its radiance brightened the tops of the trees like a corona. The effect only deepened and augmented the shadows at their base, further obscuring the woman from the two men. She kept as silent and as still as possible, though, knowing all too well how important this auspicious encounter was. She could not risk anyone seeing her. Whatever transpired from here on out, had to do so naturally. It had to appear to the two men below her as a random encounter; as if it was only by _chance,_ they had crossed paths. Otherwise, her plan would unravel and then she would have to find another way to get them together again.

As it was, months earlier, she had tried to talk one of the two men into meeting with the other, but he had stubbornly resisted.

She remembered well what she had said to him, too.

_"Things are becoming too difficult for you, Jordan," she had admonished the graying man. His worry wrinkles made him look older than his sixty-plus years and she knew that his task for the past two decades had taken its toll from him. _

_Nevertheless, he had flatly resisted her suggestion. "No, I won't involve them, I can't!" he lamented insistently._

_"Why? You know that Gabriella's becoming too difficult for you and she's stronger than most ten year olds, Jordan," the woman replied hotly, "I saw how she almost hit you last week; you need their help with her," she insisted._

_"They have too much already to worry about to consider helping me. It's been too long. Maybe I should have done this years ago, Cassie, but it's too late now," he growled. _

_Cassie could tell that he was frustrated, but she was too. A moment of silence spanned between them, and finally, the woman replied tartly, "Fine, but one day you will wish you had taken my advice!" Then, she slipped out of his car and watched as Jordan Perry drove the remaining two blocks back to his Connecticut home._

_While slipping on her sunglasses, Cassandra had stood there on the sidewalk, trying to compose herself. She then unfolded her collapsible walking cane and strolled towards her destination, Gabriella's house. As she did, her confident stature seemed to melt away, her shoulders hunching as she took on the persona of the old blind woman, the one that the girl had come to know as her voice coach. Wearing her salt-and-pepper gray wig and with her scarf effectively holding it in place, Cassie became another person all together. By the time she had reached the front steps of Professor Perry's house, she was, in effect, the very woman that Gabby knew as Mrs. Cannes._

As Cassandra thought back to that time, when it had become apparent the girl was growing more difficult as she grew older, she wished that she had not hidden Gabby for so long. She wished that she had contacted Don earlier, or someone from his family, as soon as the girl's temper began to develop. Cassie knew that, with his mild mannered personality, the professor was ill equipped to deal with such an explosive disposition as Gabby had.

Still, the woman was at least comforted in the fact that Jordan had allowed her into their lives. Through voice coaching as the elderly Mrs. Cannes, she could be a 'friend' to the girl and offer some bit of counsel to her when needed. It was difficult at best, though, since the girl had a temper and seemed prone to show a certain amount of disrespect from time to time. Nevertheless, so far, Gabby was completely unaware that the woman who taught her how to sing was, in actuality, her biological mother.

Nevertheless, as the woman stood there on the knoll, she thought back to when the professor managed to steal himself and the infant away from the Foot compound. It happened shortly after Gabby's birth. A week later, the fire Cassie had started helped make good her own escape from the clutches of her family-turned-enemy. That was nearly ten years ago. It was six months later when she finally caught up with Jordan and her daughter. That was in Montana where she had told Perry to go, setting up house in a cabin her family once owned, and situated at the end of a box canyon. There, for the next decade, the man and child would live. Cassie resided a short distance away, hidden from them, yet always ready to intercede on their behalf, if needed.

Recalling that time and with the physical and emotional changes forced upon her, it was a wonder that Cassie had not committed suicide. As it was, she would have done the deed years earlier, when she renounced her loyalty to her clan. That was when they had tortured her. It was also when the rat, Splinter, had talked her out of taking her life, while the two of them were ensconced together in the same holding cell. She had to smile at the memory, recalling what he had mentally said to her, that she would cross paths once again with him, or at least with one of his sons. When he told her that she would also have a child, never in her wildest dreams or nightmares did Cassie consider the possibility of conceiving one such as Gabriella. To do so by the very essence of the one individual whom she had attempted to kill so long ago seemed like ironic justice, as well.

Now, as she watched and observed the two men below, as she saw how Jordan's resistance changed to acceptance, she smiled when, after a moment of surprise, they clasped each other in a friendly hug. The two men had known each other years before, but much time had passed since their last conversation. However, it was obvious that the span of time was of little importance, if their embrace said anything at all.

She smiled…and then sighed sadly.

As she lingered for a moment, she caught a hastily spoken word or two that drifted up her way. Carried along by the warm wind of late spring, the voices ebbed and flowed, but for the most part the woman could discern what the men were saying.

After a few minutes of pleasantries, and after briefly discussing the biotech conference they had both attended that morning, Jordan changed the topic. He now shared with his friend about his _lost years_, when he had spent them either as a prisoner of the Foot, or in hiding.

The other man's reaction seemed startled in response, as if this admittance surprised him. It was obvious that he had been unaware of his friend's fate. In fact, he even seemed astonished by Jordan's news.

The woman smiled as she heard the professor's vocal exuberance, his eagerness to share everything quite evident. He went on to share about how he had escaped his captors eleven years before. Again, his friend seemed startled by the information. The professor continued to talk, telling how he had protected an infant, now a pre-adolescent child, for the past ten years from the whims of those who would have done evil to it. He spoke about the harsh Montana winters. He shared how they had 'rivaled anything' his Connecticut hometown could muster. Finally, and as if he were saving the best for last on purpose, Jordan described the girl, the pre-teen child, briefly explaining her parentage.

The woman watched anxiously as the other man, shorter in stature and bulkier around the middle, stood there in stunned silence. He was clothed in a full-length jacket, yet it did little to hide who and what he truly was. An occasional curious glance by students who passed by gave evidence that he was not the normal college visitor. He ignored them, however, finally finding his voice again. She then heard him ask the other man, with his breath almost quaking, "How?"

She sighed again, but this time she did not smile. Instead, she listened to the professor, now, who was more animated than moments earlier, and excitedly gesture his arms while he explained. She saw the shorter man motion with his hands for his friend to keep his voice low, yet the woman was still able to hear most of what Jordan was trying to say. He explained to his friend how, twenty years before, scientist had forced mutation onto several young women, using reptilian DNA, if only enough so that their body would successfully conceive.

"They remained mostly human, with only their backs showing a change. They did developed a bit of a shell, although it was more an imprint than the one you wear, my friend," Jordan Perry remarked.

"How did they procure this DNA, though?" the other man asked, perplexed.

Jordan briefly reminded his friend of their first meeting, recalling how the Foot had taken one of his brothers as prisoner during that time. Although he was unaware of this fact, the professor shared about overhearing the plans to collect samples of this brother's DNA, as well as other biological products.

"Everything they had collected," he said, "they stored, including the semen, with all samples frozen into vials for later use," Jordan then explained, "As these scientists began their experiments and with help from that colloidal gel I was instrumental in creating, each of their test subjects mutated. Then, these poor young souls only lived long enough to conceive, but they and their unborn children eventually succumbed to the effects of their mutation." Jordan shook his head sadly, "Had I known in the beginning how the ooze was going to be used…"

"Professor, if it weren't for that ooze, you do know that my brothers and I would not be here as we are," the other man declared softly.

"Yes," Jordan replied softy in agreement, "that is true, and – who knows – maybe if you hadn't had been transformed, Saki would have succeeded in his reign of terror back in New York City."

"Exactly," his friend concurred, "I have come to believe, Professor, that there are very few things in this world that happen by accident," He then remarked, "and even though Raphael might have contributed to the women's' torment, based on what you just told me about this child, it seems as if some good came from it."

"Yes, at least I hope so," Jordan sighed. "As it turned out, one woman did survive."

The professor continued with his story, telling his friend how it took a decade for the woman's transformation to complete, before she successfully conceived and gave birth to a child, a little girl. Jordan described the friendship that he had developed with the mother, and during that time, she told him about something someone had shared with her from years earlier. That someone was a creature, almost humanoid in appearance and speech, who had given her a foretaste of the future, a future that seemed to include her infant daughter. Although Perry said h e realized who this creature was, he chose silence rather than sharing his knowledge with his captors. He told his friend that at had these scientists been aware of this fact they would have guarded the young woman more carefully than they did.

As it was, their monitoring of her and the baby had become lax over time, thus allowing the professor to escape with the child and to eventual safety.

Now, as the woman on the knoll watched and listened, she thought back to the past twenty years. She had been the one the professor had just mentioned. She was the one who had undergone the experiments, forced to conceive against her will, and ultimately bring forth her daughter, Gabriella. She sighed deeply and focused on remaining calm, her initial reaction to the unpleasant memories soon abating and finally conceding to her will. She then refocused her attention on the two men below, and waited for the other man's reaction.

The other seemed mesmerized with what his friend had to say, and appeared almost unable to believe such a fanciful tale. To prove his story, Jordan plucked a photo from the breast pocket of his jacket and thrust it eagerly into the other man's waiting hand. Now, the man's eyes widened considerably as he peered at the image in the photo, a smile slowly playing along his snout. He looked up at the other, almost whispering, "It's true, then," and went back to studying the picture some more.

"Yes, Donatello, it is true," Jordan softly concurred.

As Don Tello seemed to reflect on what the professor had just told him and while he looked at the picture, Cassandra heard him ask, "How…old is she, now?"

The professor replied, "Ten, and quite a handful, considering her lineage."

"Well," Don chuckled lightly, his surprise and shock now replaced with curiosity, "that doesn't surprise me too much, Jordan."

A bit of silence ensured for a moment. As Cassandra watched and listened, she hoped that the professor would ask Don for his help in raising the girl.

As the seconds ticked by and as an awkwardness develop between the two men, Don finally asked, "Is…there a chance that someone in the family could – meet with her, to acquaint her with us in that way."

Shaking his head, Jordan replied, "No, I don't think that would be good. I am afraid that if she knows there are more like her, she might become harder to handle. I know that you are quite busy, my friend. I don't know about the others, but to thrust a budding rebellious child into their midst would be cruel, as much for them as it would be for her."

Cassie grounded her teeth, doing her best not to huff in exasperation. _"Stupid fool,"_ she seethed inwardly. _"I knew it; I just knew he would do this!"_ However, immediately, she shut herself down to ward off the negative feelings, lest the more intuitive one below the hill sensed her presence.

Don sighed, "Yes, you're probably correct on that, Professor. Right now, Raphael is out of the country on an assignment I have given him, and Mike has settled down with a wife – another mutant, if you can believe that – both too busy raising a family. As you mentioned, I am busy right now, as well. I know that Leo and Splinter would not have a clue, either, in how to handle a niece and a granddaughter. I think it is best that you keep her for the moment; she is used to you, after all." He sighed then, "However, I will make sure that you won't be wanting for anything."

"No, Donatello, that won't be necessary, I have my work and it pays well…" Jordan tried gently to refuse the offer, but Don waved off the professor's attempt.

"No, there will no arguments. I insist on helping you financially as much as I can. It's the least I can do for you and for Gabriella."

Jordan nodded his head in acceptance, yet Cassie could tell that he seemed torn between relief and disappointment. Yes, she knew that the man certainly loved Gabby, as if the girl had been his own daughter, but the pre-teen was also a handful for him, as well. It just frustrated Cassandra that the man had not insisted on some kind of help with raising her daughter.

Nevertheless, at least it was a start and with Don's willingness to assist with the professor's expenses concerning Gabriella, Cassie felt some relief.

As the two men talked about meeting again and this time for lunch, the woman was content to be grateful that at least someone from the mutant family now knew about Gabriella. That they were involved with her life, even though it was only by proxy, was as much as she could hope, for now.

In either event, the woman knew that she could relax a little. She sighed deeply, thankful that the outcome of the meeting had made it worth her while to change the geneticist conference in the first place. It took all of her training with computers to change records and create lists after breaking into the university's administration office five months earlier.

Originally, the conference was to occur in New York at Cornell University. However, she knew that one professor at Jordan's college taught in both locations. It was just a serendipitous convenience that he had also organized the biotech symposium. With her finesse with making things look official and with activating E-mail alerts about the change and sending them to all concerned, even the professor in charge of the meeting did not question the new location. Where he lived in Connecticut, anyway, it almost seemed like good news to him. Then, adding Don Tello's name to the line-up of speakers, along with Professor Perry's as one of the invited scientists and doctors, all that was left to do was to wait for the day of the conference. She knew that for him to see his old friend in attendance would only spark their meeting. Like a flame to dry leaves, Jordan would not be able to pass up the opportunity to talk with him. Cassie was quite certain of this and, as she watched the two while they talked together, her hunch had been correct.

As it was, she was tiring of her job of protecting her daughter, with as much as she had been doing, although she had been a willing participant. Keeping Gabriella alive was what motivated Cassie, and this overwhelming desire surprised the woman most of all. Maybe it was because Saki had so abruptly taken her first-born child from her, when she was only fifteen. Not even giving her the chance to hold the baby after its birth, Saki had then whisked the infant straight from the delivery room to the waiting arms of a stranger. Ultimately, the person would sell the child to another couple who lived in Europe. In that way, Oruku Saki had effectively prevented Cassandra from ever seeing her daughter again.

In any event, the professor had told her that her overwhelming urge to protect was the natural instincts of a mother and magnified through loss.

"It's to be expected that you would risk everything to keep Gabby safe, to make sure that you would not lose her, too," was what he had gently told her one time. In fact, as the years slipped by, he had become more father-like to Cassandra.

During her tenure in Montana, Jordan had also become her confident and savior, helping her through the difficult time of keeping her sanity. In appreciation, she ran errands for him, going into town and buying supplies whenever needed. Where it was impossible for Jordan to leave Gabby alone, he didn't have any other choice but to let Cassie take care of them. The child only knew that a 'friend' lived nearby who liked to help occasionally. During the short, summer months, they did have a garden of sorts. However, what food they grew had to be the type that could be stored during the long harsh winter.

Over time, though, the two beleaguered ex-prisoners of the Foot became friends, raising and nurturing the child in their secret box-canyon hideout. With Cassie residing only a half-mile away in another smaller cabin, they lived in the northern most part of Montana until it was certain that those who would do harm to the girl no longer existed.

Now, with their return to civilization and with Cassie fully recovered from the torture she endured by the Doctor's hands, she breathed a sigh of relief. Watching Professor Perry and Don Tello discuss her daughter, Gabriella, Cassie knew that this chapter of her life was finally concluding.

As it was, she had already answered an advertisement only the week before from the New York trade papers. After auditioning, she earned a minor role in a small Broadway production that would be opening in a few weeks. Considering it was a musical, it meant that she could finally use the artistic talents her childhood benefactor – and eventual worse nightmare – had seen to developing years earlier.

As Cassandra continued to watch while the two men talked, the woman smiled wryly. She chuckled to herself and wondered if Raphael was just as cocky and over-confident as he had been that day, when the two of them met for the very first time on top of the reporter's apartment roof. It had been a furious fight, but she bested him only because his temper had done the deed first. She smiled and laughed to herself, when she realized that his daughter, her daughter, was very much like him.

Nevertheless, as Cassie watched the two men walk towards one of the buildings together, with Jordan and Don still talking and sharing, whatever would happen, one thing was certain. The woman knew that Gabriella's future now seemed more secure – and Cassandra Edwards could get on with life in general. She had something normal to look forward to, now, something normal that she had longed for. Since that fateful day when she learned how Oruku Saki had kidnapped her as a young child and then had her parents murdered, Cassie had wanted a real life, a life from which she did not have to hide.

Now, as she turned around and walked between the stately elm trees and down the opposite side of the hill, she suddenly thought about the rat, Master Splinter. She wondered how he was doing and if he was still alive. Cassandra knew that she might never know, of course, where she did not intend to reveal herself to his family. Still, she had to think back to the moment when he had absolved her of her guilt, when he had forgiven her of the things she had done to him and his family. For that, she was most grateful, where it was his absolution of her misdeeds that had encourage her to continue living.

Regardless, though, she was completely unaware of how closely tied to her daughter she truly was, and how that would influence her future. In time, she would find it difficult to complete the break from her duties to Gabriella, her love for the girl far stronger than what she had ever felt before.

Unbeknownst to her, in years to come, Cassie would discover the strength of her maternal bonds, how they would encourage her to move clear across the country, just to stay close to Gabby. Unaware of how fate would play out, it would be then, as the rat had prophesied years earlier, when she would cross paths with his sons, just as he had said she would.

Until that time, though, Cassie would continue blissfully along, enjoying a successful career in New York City. Eventually, it would lead her to reconnect with her first-born child from long ago, a child taken from her against her will, and a daughter whose father was Oruku Saki.

**The End **

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**_Author's Notes_**_ – Considering the rash of 'shark attacks' on certain other writers' stories, I am saddened to say that I will not comment on any reviews for this story. In any event, I want to impress upon everyone who took the time that I wholeheartedly appreciate your attention to my missives. Thank you, one and all. Be blessed._


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